Christopher Fletcher, 39, threatened to cut his girlfriend’s head off and compared himself to notorious gunman Raoul Moat who went on a shooting rampage in 2010
A violent thug who convinced his terrified girlfriend he would kill her said six chilling words as he threatened to cut her head off and “become the next Raoul Moat”.
Christopher Fletcher, 39, chillingly told his partner he would “make the news the same night”, likening himself to the fugitive gunman who wounded his ex-girlfriend, killed her new boyfriend, and blinded a police officer in a frenzied shooting. Fletcher’s girlfriend feared he was capable of carrying out his chilling threats, Hull Crown Court heard. Fletcher, of Lisle Court, Dagger Lane, Hull, admitted threatening to kill the woman on August 14.
Jeremy Barton, prosecuting, said despite the pair being in a relationship, there was an unhappy background between them, with Fletcher taking advantage of his partner – and making threats to the probation service that he was going to cause her great harm.
He threatened to become “the next Raoul Moat” and behead her – an act that “would make the news the same night,” he said. His behaviour made the woman feel ill with worry, which caused her to suffer from depression. The victim installed a video camera at her home due to her heightened anxiety and was on edge in her daily life.
“These threats sounded so real to the victim in this case and she believed that he was capable of following them through,” said Mr Barton. “He wore her down over time. She began to perform badly at work. She had a constant feeling of anxiety, wondering what the defendant would do next. The offences caused serious distress and practical harm to the victim.”
Fletcher was arrested but made no comment to all questions put forward to him during a police interview. He had 21 previous convictions, including matters of violence and threats to cause violence. His convictions included robbery, assault causing actual bodily harm, harassment, assaulting a police officer as an emergency worker and breaching a restraining order.
Jazmine Lee, mitigating, said it was a very short relationship. “He accepts that he was less than pleasant and that he was no angel,” said Miss Lee. Problems reared their head in an “ugly manner” and Fletcher sent unpleasant messages but the vast majority of them were sent to the probation service.
“They are threats of significant violence,” said Miss Lee. “He has expressed remorse and frustration at himself. He accepts these would have been frightening for her – but it was frightening for himself. He describes it as his head being completely gone.
“She had expressed a wish to separate from him. He completely spiralled out of all control. He had no intention of carrying out any of these threats. He accepts that they would have been frightening and were completely uncalled for. He has been given chances by the courts.”
Recorder Ayesha Smart told Fletcher: “It was a serious offence. You have a nasty record for offences of violence, harassment and threats of violence. You threatened her with significant and serious violence. You have been in and out of custody historically and you have shown relatively poor compliance with any orders until the most recent ones.”
Sentence was deferred until October 27 for Fletcher to prove that he can stay out of trouble.
